In the later history of Israel, the LORD God would give a commandment which also carried a promised blessing:
(NASB) Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

If your parents are still living, how does the LORD God want you to act toward them?
If your parents have died, how does the LORD God want you to think of them and/or speak of them?

Noah’s three sons give us some insight into how we are to think of and speak of our parents.
(NASB) Genesis 9:20-24 “Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard.
21 He drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent.
22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.
23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.
24 When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him.”

Ham showed great disrespect toward his father by possibly poking malicious ‘fun’ by mockery and telling his two brothers what he had seen of their father.

How we treat our parents will reveal our innermost attitudes.  When anyone sins…and we all sin…our reaction will reveal how we feel toward that person(s).  Do we honor them by respecting them or do we dishonor them by disrespectfully mocking them?

Notice how Shem and Japheth handled this situation.
They took great care to use a garment to cover their father and that without looking at him.  How admirable and worthy of following their example.
What a contrast to Ham exposing his father’s nakedness.

If you are a follower of Christ, how do you want others to treat you when you have sinned?  How do you treat your parents when they sin?  Do you expose their nakedness or do you take great care to cover them?  Honoring your father and your mother is a commandment from the living God of the Bible.